


Angels with Demons

by kiara87



Category: Charmed (TV), Supernatural
Genre: Brotherly Love, Crossover, Future Consequences, Gen, Snarky Chris
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 04:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8475991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiara87/pseuds/kiara87
Summary: Sam Winchester was desperate to get his brother back, something a certain whitelighter from the future could understand. But there is a limit to what's possible - even if you are a Halliwell - and going to hell and back may just be outside those boundaries.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU crossover of S3/S4 Supernatural and S6 Charmed.

**6 MONTHS AGO**

Chris looked around the heavens. There was a tense atmosphere 'Up There' now and, while to Chris it seemed more in keeping to what he was used to in the future, it really didn't feel right in this time. And Chris had been the one to cause it (which didn't bring him nearly as much pleasure as disrupting the Elders in his own time). He managed to justify the 'guilt' he felt from causing the nervous atmosphere by telling himself that it was only _temporary-_ that is getting rid of Leo and making the other Elders worry. He'd bring him back eventually. It was a necessary evil to get the Charmed Ones to accept him. One that didn't cause him the _slightest_ bit of satisfaction… Well, maybe a little.

Hearing his name called, he looked over to the white robed being that had spoken. He tried to bite back the irritation all elders brought forth in him. Okay, so he was biased against them, but he had good reason. Twenty-two years of reasons. "Yes, Chester?"

The elder, Chester, looked surprised that the young whitelighter knew his name. They'd never spoken, but when he questioned it he received a scathing look in return.

"Well sometime in the next twenty-odd years we will."

Chester blushed. "Oh right. Well we need you to take on a new charge-"

"No."

"-Her name's Elizabeth-"

"No."

"-Her previous whitelighter didn't make it through a Darklighter attack so she needs a new one-"

"No."

"-I will warn you though, she's gone a bit off the rails recently and was tricked into pledging her allegiance to a demon, but she's a good witch at heart so with a bit of guidance-"

"No."

"-things should work out in our favour. Alright?" Chester smiled brightly.

"What part of 'no' are you finding it difficult to understand? The 'N' or the 'O'?"

Despite his youthful appearance, Chester was one of the older elders currently in the heavens. He'd seen many whitelighters, good and bad, in his time, but none quite like the sarcastic whitelighter from the future known only to them as 'Chris'. To be honest, he was quite enjoying the change. "You're a bit aggressive for a pacifist, aren't you?"

Chris muttered something which sounded suspiciously like 'I'll show you aggression', but that couldn't be right because that would be totally inappropriate coming from a whitelighter.

"Chris, while I'll admit that the sisters are quite… active charges, all whitelighters in this time take on their fair share."

"But I'm not from this time!" Chris whined and Chester wondered just how old the whitelighter actually was. Okay, so he looked about twenty, but that didn't mean much to the ageless and to have been allowed back in time must mean he was a fairly respected whitelighter in the future.

"But you are _in_ this time." Chester pointed out reasonably.

"Because I've got a job to do."

"And that is what exactly?"

Chris rolled his eyes. He quite liked Chester, he was one of the more relaxed elders. But he didn't like all these questions. "I told you. I'm trying to save the future. Which means I can't afford distractions."

Chester nodded, suddenly serious. Chris told of a bleak future, one they were determined to stop from happening. "Chris, if an extra charge turns out to be too much of a distraction, then you have my word we will find someone else. But since the Titan's attack we're a little understaffed. Please, just try."

Chris scowled. "Phoebe's calling me."

Chester took that to mean 'yes, I'd be happy to help out and I will do my very best with this charge'.

As Chris orbed away, he felt an extra presence in his mind, presumably his new charge Elizabeth. She seemed like quite a jumpy witch, nervous even. Well, she _had_ sold her soul so there was probably quite a bit to be nervous about. He pushed the new presence to the back of his mind, knowing that it would make itself known if necessary. Which it did a few days later when he was helping Piper with a vanquish.

"You know, I could get used to having a hands-on whitelighter…even if all you do is orb stuff." Piper remarked. Chris had orbed her out of the way of an energy ball and, while it was very disorienting, it was better than the alternative.

"Thanks." Chris said distracted. Elizabeth's nerves had escalated to full-blown panic. Now the danger to Piper had passed he should leave. "I have to go."

"Oh sure, stick me with the clean up."

He'd already started orbing out when he replied. "Another charge."

"Since when do you have other charges?" Piper asked uselessly of the empty room before starting picking up the chairs which had fallen over during the fight. "And here I thought we were the only ones 'lucky' enough to get the bitchy whitelighter."

Said bitchy whitelighter sensed his charge and orbed to the location. He took in the location like the hunter Bianca had taught him to be. Nice suburban living room. Two men slammed up against the wall. Witch chanting by a table. Demon…coughing up needles? Okay…

As his orbs solidified, Chris ignored the various swears coming from the two men and swung his arm at the demon, just a split second after she did the same towards the witch, but he couldn't look at her now. The demon flew back into the wall and he quickly reached out with his telekinesis to grab her in a choke hold. Right, now to think up a pretty rhyme to finish her off…or not. He recognised the athame on the floor and made it fly towards the demon. She screamed as the flames licked at her body, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes on the carpet. Problem solved.

Well, not entirely. He crouched down next to his former charge and gently closed her eyes, trying not to notice the unnatural angle Elizabeth's neck was twisted at. Even if he could heal, he wouldn't have been able to save her; she was dead when she hit the ground.

Chris sighed. Another body for his death count. "Crap."

And then he heard the latch on the gun. He turned around to see both the blokes who'd been pinned against the wall glaring at him, the younger pointing his handgun at him. Now that was gratitude. Wait, two hunters who looked a bit like… unbelievable. Seriously, what were the odds? He hadn't met anyone who was involved with the Resistance in this time, aside from Daryl; a number of them weren't even born yet. It was odd to see them looking so young, but their suspicious reactions wouldn't change one iota over the upcoming decades.

Chris smirked, knowing just how to freak out these particular hunters. "I did just save your ass, Sam. Think you could point that thing somewhere else?"

"How do you know my name?" Sam asked, not dropping his gun an inch.

"Because he's from the future." Ruby said, pulling herself into a standing position and wiping the blood from her lip. She loved a good fight, but she hated losing. Not that she would have lost in the long run, mind you, she was just biding her time. She could have turned the tables just fine if future-boy hadn't showed up.

"I knew I recognised that athame." Chris muttered.

That failed to reassure the Winchesters and, with a well practiced eye-roll, Chris gestured lazily with one hand sending Sam's gun wielding arm skyward so he resembled an eager schoolchild answering a question.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Dean questioned, looking at his brother like he was an idiot. Well, he was pointing his gun at the ceiling when there was a demon and a… something else in the room with them.

"I can't help it, he's making me!"

"It's more civil this way." Chris shrugged, barely managing to hold back his smirk. He turned to Ruby and gave her the once over. She'd been in a different body the last time they'd met but he could still recognise her magical signature. "Clawed your way out of hell then, Ruby?"

"Don't pretend you're not glad." She said, ignoring his sarcastic expression. She may have only met him once, but she had a pretty good measure of Chris. Or so she thought. "After all, you were the one who tipped me off about the Devil's Gate."

"Who the hell are you?" Dean gaped.

"I'm Chris."

They waited expectantly for further explanation. Irritatingly, none followed. "Well that's informative."

"He's from the future." Ruby volunteered again, earning her a glare from the man in question. She smiled smugly. When he'd turned up in Hell asking questions about a rising evil, not hesitating to bribe or torture for information, he'd caused a lot of raised eyebrows. Mainly because he showed up using whitelighter powers and knowing all about pretty much every demon down there, while no one knew anything about him. Now she finally had one up on him. "What? You know all about us."

"So you two know each other?" Sam asked warily. His arm was starting to ache from holding it up in the air.

"Not really. I needed answers. Ruby failed to give them to me. She's just useful like that." He smirked at her expression. His future had taught him not to be as judgemental as a lot of witches, and Ruby seemed alright. As long as she could use you anyway. She'd probably stab you in the back as soon as you lost your value to her, but, hey, that's life.

"So he left me in hell." She said bitterly.

"You were there for a reason." Chris said unconcerned. She was still a demon after all. And not a very useful one at that. "And I told you how to get out."

"You knew that was going to happen? And you didn't think to stop it?" This guy had to be evil, Dean figured. Who goes to Hell for the hell of it (no pun intended) and doesn't put a stop to a war he knew was going to happen? Plus he had some sort of power. Okay, so appearing in pretty blue lights wasn't the most threatening superpower in the world, but it was definitely some kind of evil thing.

"Not my place." Chris said. He was getting uncomfortable now, it was one thing Ruby knowing a bit about him- she could be a useful contact, but he wasn't meant to meet the Winchesters for years and he didn't want them to know too much.

"To stop a war?" Dean managed not to yell. God knows what could have been prevented if this kid had said something. He might not have had to resort to the crossroads demon to save his brother.

Chris almost scoffed. They called this a war? The body count was barely in the hundreds. "I know you don't want to hear this, but there are bigger things happening right now. I know how this ends and I know you can handle it."

"How could you know that?" Sam asked neutrally. He'd gotten good at that, maybe it was from spending so much time with Dean. He caught a warning look that the mysterious guy sent towards Ruby when she opened her mouth to talk. Her words from earlier returned to him. "Wait, you were serious. He's from the future."

"That's crazy." Dean dismissed.

"Crazier than a guy appearing in lights to fight a demon?" Ruby injected before anyone else had chance to speak. She'd long learnt that crazy was relative.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Oh you know, to save the world from evil. But why specifically here right now? She was my charge." Seeing their blank looks, Chris explained. "I'm meant to look out for her and keep her safe."

"Nice job." Dean commented, earning him a glare.

"Charge? You're a whitelighter?" Ruby said incredulously.

"Well yeah, you did see me orb out of Hell." Chris reminded her.

"I assumed you'd stolen the power from a whitelighter and somehow gotten around the whole 'never getting out thing'." Ruby replied, still managing to sound snooty even though she was surprised. It took a lot to ruffle a demon.

"Charming." He rolled his eyes. He was getting a little tired of everyone thinking he was evil. As if the constant suspicion at the Manor wasn't bad enough, now he had to put up with it from random strangers. Random strangers whose asses he had just saved, no less. "I would have thought you would know that only us really special folk have the ability to get out of hell once we're there. Any demon would be stuck there, powerless. Otherwise it wouldn't make a very good eternal prison."

For once in her life, Ruby couldn't stop the stumped look showing on her face. Whitelighters were angels- the opposite of what belonged in hell. And yeah, angels pulled some serious clout on the grand scheme of things. Especially in hell, or so one would imagine. It had never been done, but it was logical- the place was the stomping grounds of the disgraced angel after all. But why would one even consider coming down there? It just wasn't done. Ever. "Why would a _whitelighter_ go to hell?"

"For shits and giggles." Chris said at the same time Dean asked: "What's a whitelighter?"

"A disgusting pacifist." Ruby sneered. She might not be your stereotypical demon but she still hated whitelighters with all their self-righteousness and preaching.

"Pacifist? Really?" Dean looked around the destroyed room, staring pointedly at the body on the floor.

Chris ignored him. "Times change, Ruby; I'd have thought you of all people could appreciate that. I'm not your average whitelighter."

Ruby continued to glare at him, even when he retrieved her knife with a wave of his hand and handed it back to her (using his telekinesis for personal gain, she noticed- and since when did whitelighters have telekinesis strong enough to choke an upper level demon?).

"Yeah. Well. I should go." Chris said uncomfortably.

"Innocent lives to save?" Ruby said with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

Chris grinned. "Well I am technically an angel."

"What?"

The Winchesters were ignored; neither Ruby nor Chris could really be bothered to explain things anymore. Well, Ruby couldn't. Chris was annoyed at himself for letting something slip. It was difficult, he was used to the Winchesters being two of the few people he could just be Chris about without having to sugar-coat how badly the latest mission had gone or how low the food and fresh water supplies were getting. He didn't have to be the fearless leader in front of them. But now, in the past, it was different, just as it was with his family.

"If you hear anything about that matter we discussed in…" He trailed off, trying to think of a way to put it delicately.

Ruby didn't bother with such matters. "In Hell?"

"Yeah, there. Let me know."

"Whatever." Ruby said in a tone that implied she wouldn't exactly try hard to find out any useful information. She turned to the brothers. "You should just get out of here. I'll clean up the mess."

"Allow me: Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause the scene to become unseen." Chris said, smirking at the Winchesters reaction to the open display of magic.

"Why thank you, Chrissy."

He nodded in her direction. "Anything for a lady… even if she is a bloodthirsty, demonic bitch."

"You flatter me so." Ruby deadpanned. "Why does everyone insist on calling me bitch today?"

"If the shoe fits…" Dean muttered.

Chris smirked as he orbed out. Sam and Dean really wouldn't change much over the next couple of decades, though they would get more knowledgeable. In this time they clearly hadn't come across whitelighters, probably not their kind of witches either. They certainly didn't look as comfortable with his magic use as he was used to.

Dean blinked at the light show. "That's freaky."

* * *

**N O W**

**San Francisco**

"Are you sure this will work?" Sam muttered.

"Nope." Ruby answered bluntly. "But you've been less than useless since Dean bit the big one, and this is the best idea I've got. He's the only one I've ever known to go to hell _and_ get back again, without the use of that handy-dandy gate you opened of course."

Sam glared at her. If he had any other options then Ruby would have been out of the picture long ago. But he didn't. And he was desperate. He had to get Dean back and, much to Ruby's dismay, he couldn't concentrate on anything else. There had been that grief driven phase of killing everything in sight, going on hunt after hunt to avenge Dean's death and do 'what Dean would have wanted'. Now there was a dark emptiness that was slowly destroying him. He didn't care about anything, except for getting Dean back and finally Ruby had come up with a solution.

"You think he'll do it?" Sam asked, running a hand over the stubble he'd let grow on his jaw, because really, what was the point?

"I've got some leverage." Ruby scanned the club, looking around the sweaty bodies on the dance floor, the drunks by the bar, and everyone in between. There he was, nursing a beer all alone at the end of the bar. If she didn't think that Sam would seriously try to hurt her, Ruby might have pointed out the parallels between the two broody do-gooders. "Let me do the talking."

They didn't need to announce their presence.

"Hello Ruby."

Sam noted that she didn't seem surprised by the way Chris casually noticed her presence despite the fact that neither of them had said anything and he hadn't looked at them. If anything, Ruby seemed annoyed by the mere presence of the man they'd been looking for.

"This is just one of many reasons why I avoid whitelighters. Smug bastards."

Chris took a swig of his beer. "Well I'd hate to put a black spot on your record. Or a white spot, rather."

"I need a favour."

Chris' eyes flickered to Sam for the briefest of moments. "No."

"Why not?" Ruby demanded. This was just the sort of thing that these do-gooder sorts were meant to do. Saving lives, protecting the greater good and so on. He should be jumping up and down to help her.

"I know you'll figure it out eventually." Chris said. He turned to Sam, his expression softening. He knew what it was like to lose your brother. He knew what it was like to fight to get him back. "I'm sorry."

Ruby, guessing that Sam was about to do something stupid, grabbed the whitelighter's arm as he stood up. "Maybe we could talk about this somewhere a little more private, eh Halliwell?"

Sam knew there must have been something of significance in that statement; Ruby and Chris hadn't dropped eye contact yet, her gaze triumphant and challenging, and his more unreadable. He didn't look happy though. He led them through into some kind of office out back and sat on the edge of the desk, still meeting Ruby's stare.

"What? It's pretty obvious kid." Ruby snorted. "That little display you put on six months ago wasn't very whitelighter-like. Neither are trips to hell or torturing demons in the underworld every other day. So I think, maybe he's not a full whitelighter and, no offence kid, but you've got nowhere near enough power to be the Twice Blessed, but you still hang around the Halliwells like a lost puppy. You admit that you're from twenty years in the future which means you've got to be born pretty soon. My guess? The eldest sister and her whitelighter husband are about to get a new bundle to joy pretty soon."

"You think you've got it all figured out, don't you?"

She gave him a fake pout. "You've got Daddy's eyes."

"You're way off the mark here, Ruby."

"Yeah, I wasn't sure either. Until I visited a seer. And a fortune teller. And a soothsayer. Then an oracle just to be sure." Ruby smirked triumphantly. She was certain on this, and nothing he could say would convince her otherwise. "Here's the deal, you help Sammy get his brother back and I won't blow your little secret."

Chris nodded, pretending to consider. "Or I could vanquish you."

"You gonna vanquish Sam too? He's human you know. And without me, he doesn't have a chance at saving his brother from eternal damnation. No one from the underworld is telling him anything. Without me, Dean is screwed. You willing to subject him to that? Hundreds of years of torment and agony until he turns into-"

"You?" Chris interrupted. He leaned back with a sigh, biting on his lower lip, trying to think of the best way to do this. It wouldn't be the first time he'd gone to Hell, or even the second; sometimes you needed to talk to a demon you'd already vanquished and this was safer than resurrecting them, as Wyatt had figured out when he was rising to power. It was only a matter of time before someone like Wyatt figured out that there were very few limits to his power. Once he had realised he could get to Hell, he had shown Chris how to get there too- he always wanted his brother by his side- and Chris had gotten used to the burning sensation that came with crossing over. And then he didn't even need Wyatt to guide him through the process. But it was still dangerous and he couldn't let anything happen to him until he knew what had turned Wyatt. Otherwise his family, and the rest of the world. Would be doomed to the future he had left. It was too risky. "Let's say I orb down to hell, how am I meant to find him? It's a big place and I can't sense anything down there."

"Use a spell." Ruby answered like it was the simplest thing in the world and she thought he was an idiot, which, to be fair, she did.

"Do spells work in hell?"

"If it's the right sort of spell."

Chris frowned. "Black magic?"

"You okay with that?" Ruby mocked. Everyone knew of the Halliwell morals but Chris was already lying to his family. Somewhere along the line this half-angel had definitely fallen and, from what she'd seen, he'd fallen pretty far.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sam growled, finally at the end of his shortening temper. He hadn't followed most of their conversation and he hated it.

"I'll go to Hell and try to find your brother." Chris said, though he was still glaring at Ruby.

"You can do that?" Sam sounded hopeful, sounded like the old Sam for a moment.

"I can try." Chris said, emphasising the final word. "I don't know if I'll be able to find him."

"Thank you." Sam breathed. He had hope again and, for now, that was enough.

Chris smiled sadly, thinking of his own mission. "I know what it's like to have to fight to get your brother back."

"Wyatt right?" Ruby questioned curiously, but she was ignored.

"It's not Dean's time to die yet." Chris said. He'd had a few conversations with the Angel of Death over the years and he knew the difference between a mystical death and a natural one. "First, I need to know everything you've found out about his deal."

"How do you know about the deal?" Sam said, his suspicions immediately on red alert.

"I'm from the future, remember? Look, if I'm going to find Dean I need to know where to look. I need to know what we're up against." Chris said. Sam still didn't look sure. "Your brother is in Hell, Sam. What worse could I do?"

"Lilith holds the deal." Sam admitted quietly. "But, as far as we know, she's still running free up here."

"That's good. If she was down there I wouldn't fancy our charges. Is that all you know?"

Sam's face burned. His brother had been gone for weeks and he knew nothing.

Chris moved on quickly. He didn't want to make Sam feel bad, but he didn't have the time or energy to pussyfoot around his delicate little feelings. "What about the body?"

"It's safe."

"Buried?"

Sam flinched. "Yeah."

"I need to get supplies." Chris forced himself to be all business. If he though about this to much, then it would get to him and he would probably talk himself out of it. "And I need to talk to someone…higher up. Then I'll come and get you. You can dig up the grave," Sam flinched again and Chris forced himself not to do the same, "so that when I come back, you'll get your brother back."

"Not to be a downer, but how exactly are you going to do that?" Ruby injected scathingly. "Last I checked, whitelighters couldn't bring people back from the dead."

He ignored her. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

They both protested, but he vanished in a swirl of orbs before they could even finish talking.

"I told you he never gives you a straight answer."

Chris reappeared by the temple steps. His appearance caused a few raised eyebrows, he never made an appearance without being summoned, but when he stared running towards the double doors several moved into action to stop him.

"You can't go in there."

"I have to."

"No." He could move. It was rare for the elders to use their powers, but Chris felt himself held in place.

"You don't understand. I need to see Castiel."

From most, the name drew nothing but puzzled looks. From a few of the highest elders it brought surprise, and a small amount of fear.

"How do you know that name?"

"You'd be surprised what I know." Chris said coldly. "Look, I don't have time to explain-"

He didn't have to. A higher power or something like that took pity on him. As the door inched open, Chris seized his opportunity and ran through. He had only been into the temple twice. Neither of them were happy occasions and being around that much power only made him giddy and left him with a headache- such was the price of being part-mortal.

"I hear you've been asking after me."

"You're Castiel?" Chris asked, a reasonable question considering all he could see was a bright white light.

"Yes."

"I need to talk to you about Dean Winchester."

If angels had faces, Chris had a feeling that his one would be shocked.

"You know I'm from the future, and I know you can see what I'm trying to prevent from happening. I know that it's too much to ask for just a little help in saving the damn world, but if I'm going to do _your_ part of this, then I'm not doing it on my own."

Castiel didn't need to ask what he was referring to. "I can only pull Dean Winchester out when the planets are aligned."

"His brother won't wait that long. He'll resort to stupid measures- you know he will. We can prevent that."

"Even if you manage to find him, whitelighters can not restore life."

"You can. If I get him out, you bring him back." Chris sensed the angel was hesitating. "Aren't angels meant to have mercy?"

"If the elder Winchester is back sooner, it will be better for the younger."

Chris surpassed the urge to roll his eyes and make a sarcastic comment. This was an angel, a true warrior who would probably smite him. It really wasn't the time.

"Very well. If you manage to bring back Dean Winchester, I will anchor his soul."

"Cool. Thanks." Chris turned to leave, but Castiel held him back. Chris turned back towards the angel, his eyebrows raised in question.

"I can see many things." Castiel said slowly. "If you manage to succeed, then the Halliwell brothers are going to be a formidable team."

"For good?"

"For good." Castiel confirmed. "You have shown strength by coming back. Many thought you would not be capable of it."

"Way to boost my confidence." Chris muttered.

"I see many things." Castiel repeated.

"And you saw Wyatt? Good Wyatt? Does that mean I succeed?"

Castiel didn't say anything. "I will anchor Dean Winchester's soul to his body. But you should hurry."

Chris decided to take the angels advice- they were supposed to be all knowing after all. He thanked him, though at this point he wasn't sure if it was for co-operating with the Dean thing, or for giving him a little bit of hope in his mission. It had not been easy, being in the past without any back up. By just giving him a tiny indication that he would succeed, Castiel had made it seem possible again.

A brief, thankfully sister-free, trip to the Manor later, and Chris was orbing back to the back office at P3.

"You took your sweet time." Ruby sniped.

"You ready." Chris placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and orbed them both to Dean's grave site. He kept a tight grip on the taller man's shoulder as he staggered and pretended it was a reaction to the orbing sensation rather than to the sight of his brother's grave. Chris couldn't imagine having to do that for Wyatt, not even after seeing what he had become.

"I don't know how long it will take." Chris said quietly.

Sam nodded. "What about Ruby?"

"I can't orb her. She'll be here."

"Maybe she shouldn't. Dean won't like it."

"He'll hate it." Chris agreed. When he'd first met the Winchesters, they weren't keen on working with demons. Years later, the world had changed. And, like him, they realised that the only way of winning their war was to unite with the demons against a common enemy. That didn't mean that any of them had to like it. "You want a hand with this?"

Sam picked up one of the shovels Chris had picked up from the Manor. "Just get him back."

"I swear, Sam, if it can be done, I'll do it."

"I don't know why, but I actually believe that."

"Well that's a start. See you later." With those parting words, Chris orbed to hell.

A man appearing in pretty blue lights was not a normal sight, least of all in hell. It was natural for it to cause a bit of a stir. Luckily for Chris, the part of hell he had orbed into was empty, save for one very surprised demon. Orbing wasn't exactly a common thing to see in hell.

"What the fu-"

With a wave of his hand, Chris knocked the cursed demon out against the stone wall. He listened for a minute, making sure that no one was coming. Then he settled down behind a rock and took out a small knife, preparing to utter the dark spell that, if they ever found out a bout it, the sisters would definitely vanquish him for. He wished he didn't know how to use it, but Wyatt turning had changed the world. Wyatt may be the source, but he wasn't pure evil. Chris was trying to save the world, but he sure as hell wasn't white as snow. In the future there were only shades of grey. The current-day Halliwells' wouldn't see it that way if they saw him doing so-called 'back' magic.

"Take my blood, I ask of thee. Thy powers I call unto me."

Chris sliced the blade across the palm of his hand, allowing a few drops of blood to fall into the vial of ingredients he had picked up from the Manor. It cracked and sizzled, emitting a black smoke. He inhaled deeply, letting the smoke burn through his lungs. For a moment, Chris' eyes went black and he blinked to clear his vision. He hated calling on demonic powers, the headache lasted for hours.

"Show me Dean Winchester."

Although Chris still didn't know where he was going, some instinct made him exit the cave he had been standing in. He wasn't overly worried about who he might bump into. He had spent a lot of time around demons and learnt that, for the most part, they left their own kind alone. The fact that he was in hell in the first place would lead them all to presume he was a demon and he was quite happy to keep his head down until he found Dean. So, when he passed a rather grotesque looking demon in a corridor, he just carried on walking.

Chris was a smart person. And even if he wasn't, it wouldn't have taken much to guess where he had needed to orb to. Dean had be dragged away by Hell Hounds, by Lilith who owned half the souls in the underworld. It made sense that he would be somewhere in the place Chris had dubbed the Soul Prison. He hated it there. It was dark, there was screaming and pain and all kinds of horrible things he didn't want to think about. Still he was heading that direction.

Something dripped on Chris' face. He looked up and immediately wished he hadn't. Strung up somewhere above him he could just make out a figure, stretched spread eagle and screaming in pain. In the dim light, Chris couldn't really see much. But he knew that the poor soul was being held in place like a piece of meat in a butchers; kept hanging until some demon decided what to do with them. It was no way to live, and certainly no way to spend death. He steeled himself and carried on. You couldn't save everyone.

There were very few demons about, something which had surprised Chris the first time he had come down here. But this place wasn't exactly in a prime location, and you didn't have to worry about your prisoners escaping when there was nowhere they could go. This was hell after all. And there were few people stupid enough to try and break someone out. Chris was just special like that.

Thanks to his borrowed demonic powers, Chris walked in exactly the right direction without hesitation. A few minutes later he was standing in front of Dean. He was slumped against a wall, either unconscious or sleeping, Chris wasn't sure which. Chris had seen plenty of prisoners of war in his time. He had seen members of the resistance rescued after months of being held by Wyatt's demons. That was thee only thing that stopped him from flinching at the state Dean had been left in. His jeans were soaked in blood, though it didn't look fresh, and his t-shirt was ripped to shreds showing numerous wounds underneath. Still, he didn't show the signs of malnutrition that some of his rescued had in the future. That meant that, on the surface at least, his injuries would heal quickly.

"Dean?" Chris reached out and shook his forearm gently so not to upset any of his injuries.

Dean had been a hunter for nearly all his life. And he'd been a hunter in death as well. As he felt something grab him, he hit out, ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he did so.

"Fuck!" The 'attacker' swore.

It didn't take Dean long to recognise the other man. When someone could turn into sparkly blue lights, they tended to leave a lasting impression.

"You? What are you doing here?" His voice was croaky with disuse. Future-boy didn't look like he noticed, or didn't want to show he had noticed at any rate.

"Explanations later." Chris barked, turning into the leader the future had turned him into. "Leave now."

Chris grabbed Dean's good shoulder and orbed, hoping that nothing would go wrong because A) the future would be screwed, and B) Sam would kill him.

The minute he reached his destination, he felt himself being ripped apart, his orbs scattering to god knows where. It had to be a side effect, something Castiel was doing to anchor Dean's soul. A little warning would have been nice. With great effort, he pulled himself together, trying to resist the urge to be sick. It was a good job he didn't eat much these days.

"Damn angel." Chris muttered. His head ached, all of him hurt and he felt dizzy. He was probably lying down, but right now he couldn't tell for sure.

"What?"

Chris blinked, his swaying vision focusing on Sam's face. "Nothing."

"You okay man? You've been out of it for a while." Dean was standing a few feet away, eyeing him suspiciously. He looked better, like the first time Chris had met him. He didn't like he had just got out of hell that was for sure. It had to be down to what Castiel had done. He held his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes darting about like he was watching and waiting to be attacked. Sam was standing close, keeping a close eye on his brother.

"Everything's okay?" Chris asked, looking Dean up and down for anything obviously wrong. He reached out with his sensing abilities but nothing seemed amiss.

"Yeah. Well, unless you're a tree."

All the trees around the clearing had been flattened. That explained the exploding orbs and unconsciousness. Chris got to his feet, pushing the fuzziness to the back to his head like a seasoned fighter.

"Do you need a lift back to San Francisco?" Chris offered reluctantly. He was tired. He didn't know if he could orb all three of them. Plus every interaction could alter their perception of him in the future- And talking of the future, the sisters would probably get a shock when the Winchester brothers knew all about his trip to the past when they would finally meet. Oh well, that bridge could be crossed later…much later. Chris had enough to worry about at the moment, like how taking an afternoon off from hunting for whatever turned Wyatt would set him back further still. He couldn't afford set backs.

"Wait, what the hell happened down there? What's going to happen to me?" Dean demanded. He couldn't take going back to hell; if he was still hell bound, he wanted to know so he could do something about it.

"You're back, for good. This is a clean slate." Chris said, knowing that Dean would think it too good to be true whatever he said. Plus he didn't know all that much. Castiel hadn't been too forthcoming with information and the future Sam and Dean had only told him so much.

"How?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Chris said with a smile her knew would infuriate the brothers. "Magic."

"That doesn't really make me feel better."

"Dean your back, that's all that mattered." Sam injected, wishing his brother would just be glad to be back and they could get back to normal. The last few months had been hell- literally in Dean's case, figuratively in Sam's. He wanted to forget all about it and go back to how things were.

"Dean you're a hunter, one of the good guys. The more people that are fighting the demons, the more chance we have of winning. That's why they let me bring you back."

"They?"

"Look, I'm just a lackey, everything will be clearer soon. If not, you know where to find me. Although, it's probably better you don't- future consequences and all that."

Dean held his gaze for a moment. For some reason he wanted to believe the kid. But then, he had said that they would know each other in the future. And he had pulled him out of hell. He owed him a day, but if no-one started giving explanations by tomorrow then he would track the kid down and things might get violent. "If we don't hear anything-"

"You will." Chris interrupted.

Dean nodded. He stepped back, gesturing for the whitelighter to take his leave. There was no way he was travelling in fairy lights. Not anywhere.

Sam stepped forward, catching Chris by the arm. "Chris? I hope you save your brother."

Chris ducked his head, it was weird to have someone refer to his mission without distain or threats. It was even wierder to hear someone refer to Wyatt as his brother in a positive tone, no fear or anger or surprise. Just a genuine kindness. Wierd. Good though. "I will."

"Yeah." Sam said because he knew that you wouldn't stop until you succeeded. Dean watched the exchange with interest. He would have to have a chat with Sammy later. Sam grinned, because life was good again. "Thanks Chris."

"Dude, I'm an angel, it's in the job description." Chris grinned. "See you in about fifteen years," and then he orbed away leaving the two frustrated hunters with a hundred questions and not very many answers. He liked being a bit devious.

That was the best bit of being only _half_ -angel.


End file.
